Nothing To Lose
by authorofthefall
Summary: How many times must he lose his loved ones? For this young bounty hunter, matters are about to come to a head. Struggling to keep his sanity, the Night Raid offers a solution... This time around, there will be no tears. Only blood.
1. Chapter 1: Kill The Intro!

**Hello, mates! First of all , I would like to thank you for giving this fanfic a go. I promise you, it will be worth your time. **

**On to the summary:**

**Setting: This story is set in the same AGK! universe, and the events in question happen parallel to the main story line. I will assume that all readers are up to date with the anime of AGK! I , myself am up to date with the manga, but I won't include manga occurrences as not every one has read the manga, and it would be a shame to spoil the series. The location of the following events, for the time being, is Ipswind town, a completely fictional one I made up on my own. And for the time being, other than the occasional mention of Esdeath, none of the characters have made their appearances. YET.**

**Plot: This story follows the adventures of Susumu, an orphan from the frontiers. After witnessing the destruction of his village, he ventures into the vastness of the empire , alone , to try and eke out a living for himself as a bounty hunter. Read on to find out the choices he has to take, the friends and enemies he makes, and the situations he finds himself in.**

**This story is above all,a story of survival in the harsh and unforgiving empire.**

******For more info , pls check out L' Cie XIII's profile which has the character description. It is with the permission of L'Cie XIII that I have used this OC, created specifically for other writer's use.**

****** Dsclaimer: I dont own AGK or Susumu, who is an OC by l'Cie XIII,URL: (tion)/u/5734390/l-Cie-XIII. Remove the brackets obv. Summary sucks, story better! Reviews appreciated!**

**Thanks!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: Kill The Intro!**

To the casual observer, it was just another mountain town, no different from the numerous others scattered along the lengthy borders of the empire, except that it was quite bigger than the others.

There was the local inn, managed by old Hauser.

This inn overlooked the town center, and was adjacent to the manor of the prevailing authority of the village, the Lord Klaus. Klaus was a retired military general, who had once held a position of influence at the capital, right under Minister Onest. However the vicious power struggles, along with the growing unrest at the heart of the empire had led him to relocate to quieter pastures.

The revolts had yet to spread to this corner of the empire yet , and the town, strictly speaking , was in no immediate threat of a plundering. This town hadn't attracted the attention of the night raid as well, as news travels slowly from this remote and out of the way region of the empire. However, the people of the town were far from safe. There were danger beasts lurking in the surrounding topography. The woods , extending along the north in an east to west direction ,were full of them. The lake, located to the south east, just in front of the ring of mountains covering this section of the empires borders, had always been plentiful in terms of catch, but there was a reason that fishermen avoided going in too far, or too late at night.

The threats didn't stop here, as the most dangerous animal, was the one that lay within. The Lord may have moved out of the capital, but he wasn't quite ready to give up the luxurious lifestyle he had enjoyed at the capital so easily. He demanded the choicest of food and drink, the most luxurious of silks to drape around himself, and the most ornate of Jewels to be set into his robes and crown. Then, a man like him has other needs as well...

To that end, the pleasure tower , erected after his appointment as the ruling Lord, made sure to satiate his carnal cravings. All these didn't come cheap. Prices were on the rise, and beautiful abandoned girls were proving to be scarcer ; the reason being not that the girls were becoming uglier, its just that they put a prodigious effort to remain on the good side of the law and to keep their noses clean, so that they couldn't be whisked away to the pleasure tower. But Lord Klaus had his ways of implicating people and meeting his desires. A small order to one of his cronies, and Mr Horowitz , the owner of a small bakery business , is accused of swindling and promptly jailed. Meanwhile , the fiendish lord, who earlier set his sights on the baker's beautiful daughter, was happily chuckling at the prospect of some fresh entertainment, not to mention the tidy sum of coin he got from selling the bakery.

But what entertained the lord the most, was possibly the executions. Yes, he had acquired quite a taste for torture during his stay at the capital, and once every week, screams of pain from the execution fields, out by the back side of the town jail,disturbed the quietness of Ipswind Town.

As old Hauser set down the glass he was polishing, he sighed wearily. It was getting late, and only the outsider in the trench coat remained at the counter. It was because of the inquiries of this person, that he had embarked on the preceding narrative of the town. Well, the stranger ate light, and paid him for what he thought was trivial information, so he wasn't complaining. And besides, its not often that a new face stopped over at the town, and a relatively friendly one at that.

" Won't you take a room for the night?" asked old Hauser.

" Not necessary, I have a campsite set up outside the abandoned shanty at the edge of the lake " replied the stranger in a gentle feminine tone, but with a deep lying firmness.

It was this voice, coupled with the stranger's slender build, tear drop jade green eyes, angular facial features with high cheek bones, pale skin, and dirty blond hair, all of which were in sharp contrast with the manner of dressing , which consisted of an almost ankle length unzipped trench coat, grey slacks and numerous bandages covering the arms and the chest, which threw the strangers gender into ambiguity. The stranger could either be a cute slender girl, or a disturbingly pretty boy. And old Hauser didnt want to drive away potential customers by making prying inquiries , and although he seriously doubted that the stranger would take his question regarding gender in the wrong manner, he decided to refrain from the topic altogether.

As the stranger walked out into the snow laden town, he ( Yes , he) gathered what he had learnt during the day.

"So this is Ipswind town eh... seems pretty interesting. And now to find who I 'm looking for...". With that , he drew his hood around him tightly and zipped it up, walking in the direction of his campsite..

The townsfolk never went near the lake anyway so his goods, kept in the veranda of the shanty, were quite safe . He made his preparations for the night, he removed the katana he always kept hidden under the back of his trench coat. He then took another one from out under his bed and proceded to look, almost lovingly at the blades ( he had left one behind in order to avoid causing a stir. He couldn't hide two blades). He diligently applied himself to the task of cleaning his blades. One could say that he took care of his blades as well as he took care of his own body, if not better. In a manner that might be considered weird to other people, he began recollecting how his day went , with seemingly no one to listen. But he regarded his blades as valuable comrades, and it was a relaxing habit, for some odd reason.

"... and that's what the old man at the inn said.

But one thing is for sure. I came here for the bounty, and that's just what I will get.

Tomorrow, we get to work..."

* * *

**AN: Feed back and reviews greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2: Kill The Abductors!

**Summary: Here's the second chapter. Susumu goes looking for a job, but unexpectedly walks into trouble in the woods... Will he survive this chance encounter? Will he make ends meet? Read and find out...**

**To readers: Thanks for giving the story a chance, and if you liked this story, I sincerely recommend you check out L'Cie XIII's profile and read Susumu's character description. **

**Please review if possible! It's what keeps me going!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: Kill The Abductors!**

It was the break of dawn , and Ipswind town was bathed in the first rays of the Sun , rising slowly over the eastern edges of the woods.

Susumu had already risen though, as was his custom of waking up early. He went about his campsite, putting his belongings in order so that they could be stowed away quickly. He then went by the lake, and brushed his teeth and rinsed his face.

He checked the condition of his swords, carefully examining every inch of steel for any tarnishing blemishes. This was usual of him,as he treasured his swords and never failed to check them every morning, evening and night.

As one of his teachers told him:

"_**Your sword is more than just a weapon. It is an extension of your self. A man's sword often tells more about the man than he himself might describe. Treat your sword with respect, and you will be treated with respect , on the battle field**." _

Since that day, he who had hitherto looked at his swords as yet a mere tool , began to see the inherent beauty in them. He viewed them in a way other men view their hands. They were part of him. And to this end, they had to move as one. With this in mind, he continued with his training, which he never neglected, regardless of the circumstances.

He picked up a small twig and threw it vertically up into the air. He looked up, following the cartwheeling trajectory of the twig, all the while subconsciously calculating the optimum point in the twigs trajectory at which he should make his cut. The chance presented itself when the twig was roughly at a 45 degree angle to a line drawn horizontally from his eyes, and as close as possible to being horizontally aligned to the ground. He drew his blade and executed a swift vertical slash. The pieces landed on either side of him. He picked up one of the pieces and examined it . "Hmm... Not a clean cut... I need to work on my technique" . With this perfectionist attitude, he set about repeating a basic series of thrusts and lunges, before attempting to dual wield. His dual wielding skill had substantially improved since the time he first tried it out, but there was still a long way to go in his quest to become proficient. An hour later, he stowed his blades away into his bedding.

"_The water is too cold for a dip_" he thought, so he simply soaked a towel he was carrying and wiped his sweaty body off with that.

" _I guess this will have to do for now, until I can build up my coin reserves and rent a proper room.._" thought Susumu.

With sanitary processes out of the way, he donned his trench coat, slinging one of his blades across his back, under the coat. He then head towards town. He needed work. His first stop was the inn. He had already confirmed from old Hauser the day before, that the inn was adequately staffed, and he wouldn't be needing workers. However he had forgotten to ask about other people who had work available.

" Did you manage well, yesterday?" said old Hauser out of genuine concern, which wasn't out of place as the surroundings are cold, and treacherous.

" Yes" came the curt reply from Susumu.

He then inquired as to whether any work might be available to him in the town. He was directed towards the old lumber camp at the edge of the woods.

The prospective employer was a burly man in his mid 30's , by the looks of it. "

Grab an axe and bring me all the wood you can chop, lassie, but I'm warning you, venture too deep and I cant guarantee you will get out , hahah!"

Ignoring this warning and being referred to as the wrong gender, he set about his business. He had deceptive strength for his frail build, and he had chopped down a sizable quantity of wood in good time. There was a little break, during which he had some of the bread and fruit he had packed up from yesterday. He then continued with the chopping. In this manner, he spent the day chopping wood. In the middle, he was asked to deliver a few packages around town. He used this as an opportunity to gather more intel about this town. It was around 4:00 in the evening when they decided to halt for the day. Darkness advances unexpectedly quickly and it was best to get back before dark. He was paid well for his efforts and was about to proceed to his camp site when he heard an extremely faint cry coming from the woods. It was a girl's voice crying out for help. Not one to leave a human being in the clutches of some monster or bandit , he went in cautiously, heading for the source of the cries for help.

A fair distance inside, he came across a small clearing in the trees. He ducked behind some shrubbery and surveyed the scene laid out before him. It was a campsite, with a fire going, laden with plenty of oddly shaped logs. There were a group of five men, all of them dressed in light leather armor, carrying insignia. "They might be the lords men" he thought. There were 3 tents erected, along with a few supplies here and there. And then he caught sight of the girl. She couldn't have been more than 11-13 years of age. She was tied up, and her clothes were in tatters. She had numerous gashes throughout her body. Tears streamed down her face

"...and that's what you get for biting me, you little wildcat! I was thinking I might spare you, but now you're definitely ending up in the fire! " said one of the men.

"But not before we are all done with her... In fact , she doesn't look like she can survive all of us heheh..." Said a man who appeared to be in charge, in a sinister tone.

It was then that Susumu realized with a start , that those weirdly shaped logs in the fire weren't logs at all... _They were human limbs..._

The girl continued to scream for help and resist, as the men tore her tattered tunic from her body. " Someone please...*choke*" came a few feeble cries for help from the girl. And that was when Susumu finally snapped. He habitually drew his hood, as he never killed without donning it. But he was no idiot. Charging into 5 burly men and winning wasn't going to be all that easy. And besides, if he could lower the odds before the fight broke out...

A sharp whistle interrupted the men. "What was that?"

"Beats me .."

"Hans , go check it out..."

"Why the hell do I have to go check it out?" complained Hans indignantly...

"Because I'm the boss and I say so. And you killed that last one before we all got a chance to have fun with her!"

"What can I do if her neck broke, I didn't mean it.. Ok fine, I'm going,I'm going. Sheesh..."

And the unfortunate Hans rose and went towards where he thought the sound came from. The moment he stepped into the woods, his fate was sealed. Susumu, maneuvering behind him, silently drew his blade, and quickly back stabbed him, through the heart. It was his stroke of luck that all the men except the boss , had removed their armor in preparation for the deed they were going to carry out. Hans fell silently, a shocked expression fixed permanently upon his face as his vital signs faded. A better death than he deserved for all that he had done.

Another shrill whistle pierced the silence, this time from the left.

"Hans?" called out one of the men, with a slightly nervous edge to his voice.

" Hans stop friggin screwing around, It's getting dark and we need to finish up and go!" proclaimed the boss in an agitated voice.

When no reply came, the boss said "What a bother. The dolt must have fallen into a pit or something. You, come with me. Lets go see what happened. And you guys BETTER NOT START without me!" said he, addressing the remaining two.

A few moments after the boss and the other man left the clearing, Susumu made his move. He had a useful skill of throwing his voice, and he employed this to good effect. By drawing the men in a different direction than the one he was hiding in, he had given himself space to rescue the girl. He sneaked up behind the guardsmen and drove the blade through the base of his neck, instantly killing him. This was done so silently that the other guard didn't even notice his comrade dead, until he heard the body hit the ground. He spun around in alarm only to barely make out the edge of a katana heading for his neck. A swift strike and the head separated cleanly from the body.

" _They all died without seeing into the eyes of the one who killed them_" thought Susumu to himself. Mentally convincing himself that this underhand way of killing was unavoidable , he directed his energies to the task of cutting the binds of the weeping girl.

She was a cute little thing, with a pleasant face marred by numerous bruises inflicted on her by her captors, and a thin frame with waist length hair of a slightly darker shade than Susumu's own dirty blond shade. Her hands were bloodied, with deep gashes where she had been tied with the ropes, and cuts marred her body in various places. Her clothes, with consisted of a white undershirt and black shorts, were tattered and torn so badly they bordered on the point of nonexistence. Her light blue eyes were bloodshot from crying. Yet despite all this, she gave off an almost dignified air, the type that you would associate with a noble birth. "Can you walk? Hurry , we have to leave before they come back" said Susumu. The girl opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly her eyes narrowed in alarm. Susumu caught the unmistakable glint of metal reflected in her eyes and quickly spun around and parried the boss had returned.

"YOU BITCH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MEN?" bellowed the enraged commander.

"I killed them , of course" came the nonchalant reply .

The man's face twitched in anger. He let out a roar and charged at them. Susumu pushed the girl out of the way and sidestepped the blow, which had power and nothing else. As he prepared to bring his sword down on the soldier's exposed back, he felt an impact to his side. And that was when it hit him (literally and figuratively).

"The other Guy! How could I have been so careless ?" wondered Susumu as the impact crushed the breath out of him.

The other man had downed him with a rough shoulder tackle. However, Susumu had been in these situations before, and knew how to mitigate the impact. Just as he hit the ground, he executed a barrel roll to the side in an effort to dissipate the force of the blow in a more uniform manner to make sure no specific part of his body took major damage. Unfortunately This forced him to back up towards a tree trunk. The man took the opportunity to corner him. With all other pathways covered by the boss, who recovered his positioning. The only reason Susumu wasn't dead already was that the second man left his sword by one of the tents before he went along with the boss. In open ground, he might have been able to outfight two, or maybe even up to three men at one time, if the situation had called for it. That was because of his superior technique that imbibed the elements of many a different teacher's lessons into one optimized style, and his speedy reflexes. However, in enclosed spaces, it was all about strength. Heavy blows can't be dodged with no space, and if there isn't an opposing force strong enough to parry the blow, you might as well give up. Susumu had realized this, but calmed himself down.

"_There must be an opening for me to break out somewhe..._" but his thoughts were interrupted by a terrifying roar.

From nowhere, a giant clawed arm wrenched apart the earth and diced the boss in half. "EARTH DRAGON!" screamed the remaining man and turned to run. Unfortunately for him , he tripped over a root and that allowed the dragon to catch up to him. Susumu lunged for the girl and hoisted her on his back, before hightailing it out of there. The screams of the unfortunate man were quickly cut short...

"_Well that was a stroke of luck_" thought Susumu to himself. He continued running until they came right up to the edge of the forest. Removing his hood,he decided to inquire about the condition of the little girl.

" How are you feeling now?" asked Susumu to the girl.

She had been hitherto silent, but now she replied " I feel faint..." and later added " Thanks for saving me, Onee San *sob*" in a meek voice .

" First of all , I'm a guy (she used onee san instead of onii san). Second of all, don't thank me just yet. Those were the Lord's men, and we have blood on our hands, so we need to be careful. I can dress your wounds at my camp site but we need to sneak there ". She stifled a sob, and nodded.

* * *

A while ( and a LOT of sneaking) later they reached the camp site, where Susumu set to work dressing her wounds immediately. All that sneaking, and the detours they were forced to take to avoid revealing themselves. The girl was in really bad shape, and had lost a lot of blood. Susumu knew that he had to act quickly to prevent any long term damage to the girl's health. With deft and precise movements, he dipped a cotton swab in an alcohol solution he kept with him ( Not for drinking, for medical purposes).

" Now, this may sting a little, but it needs to be done. The wounds you have will get infected otherwise."

" Uh uh..." replied the girl, weakly.

He swiftly removed her tattered undershirt, trying to assess the full extent of damage done to her body. With precise dabs of his alcohol soaked swab so as to keep the pain induced by the contact of alcohol onto exposed flesh down to a minimum, he cleaned her wounds, removing any dirt and grime from around the cuts. He then soaked a fresh swab and tended to her legs, which had numerous cuts and bruises on them from running bare footed across the forest. Once done, he opened a little paper packet he kept , and removed a few leaves and herbs. Using a pestle and mortar , he converted these into a paste. He melted some ice and added the water to the paste to increase its quantity and lower its viscosity. Then he gingerly applied this paste to the most severe looking wounds on the chest and the legs. This done, he took a cloth roll ,and cut it into strips, which he then used to deftly bandage the girl's wounds. He then stopped, satisfied with his work , only to quickly avert his face. In his haste to tend to her injuries before they got worse, he had inadvertently removed what little of the ruined clothes she had left. The fact that he hadn't even noticed what he was doing spoke volumes of his concentration and medical commitment. All these were the fruits of the efforts of a doctor who had mentored him, and imparted his medical knowledge to him as part of an unlikely agreement. After watching his doctor operate on the human body with unerring accuracy and precision many times, he , himself had acquired enough skill to rival a trained physician.

**_"Familiarity of the human anatomy is a must. Don't operate unless you know the body like the back of your hand. And , regardless of man or woman, king or beggar, knight or monk, all are the same under the operating table. Bodies created by god. The outsides may vary, but an injury is an injury, and must be treated with the same consideration for a life. We are all the same, in the end."_**

With the words of his master echoing inside his head, he had completed treating the girls wounds. And in his 'physicians trance' any body who lay down in front of him wouldn't make a difference, even if it was an injured Esdeath herself lying completely naked on his table, he would mechanically soldier on till his job was done, and consider the consequences later.

Quickly regaining his senses, he immediately fashioned a make shift tunic for her out of some old cloth and small shirts he had found and kept, intending to use them for sewing his Trench coat, or bandages if the need came to be. He then applied himself towards cleaning his blood stained blade, as he decided to give the girl, who had drifted off into sleep during her treatment, some rest.

* * *

He gently woke her up after an hour, by sprinkling cold drops of water on her face. Startled, she woke up and almost screamed had he not covered her mouth with his hand. Gesturing her to quieten down, he gave her some water and bread. Upon recognizing the face of her savior, she calmed down and took the food he offered. She began to speak as she ate:

" My name is Emmi, and I clean dishes at the inn.

I bumped into these soldiers tying up and beating a girl near the edge of town.

So they chased me and abducted me as well. "

" What about your parents?" asked Susumu.

" They died a long time ago. Im an orphan. I stay at the inn, Grandpa Hauser lets me use one of the rooms" said Emmi .

"Well then that's where we are headed" said Susumu.

A short walk and they reached the inn.

" Emmi! I was so worried about you!" exclaimed old Hauser.

"Grandpa Hauser! " shouted Emmi in an equally excited voice, and ran up to embrace the old man.

" This kind Onii-San saved me from the lord's men! I owe him my life !" .

Old Hauser recognized Susumu as the stranger from yesterday.

" I cant thank you enough , young lad " said old Hauser. "Emmi has been like a grand daughter to me ever since I took her in. I really dont know how to repay you"

"_Well.. a place to stay would be nice_" thought Susumu. Emmi, almost as though she read his mind , proclaimed

" Grandpa! I know, how about onii-san stay here? He has no place to stay, and there is easily enough space in the room I stay in. The bed is too big for me anyway!"

"Well , I guess that could do, providing you don't mind chipping in here and there , helping me run the inn. It would be useful to have a lad of your skills around" said Hauser. " And you need some place to settle down for a while. The Lord will be sure to cause a ruckus once it is realized that those guards are missing"

"_ Am I really in a position to refuse? The weather is getting bad and I ain't sleeping out with friggin earth dragons running about..._" thought Susumu.

So he replied " Thanks a lot, old Hauser" . He worked out that staying here free of cost would be good and also he needed a place to lay low for a while and find some work as a cover. For he , in reality, was a bounty hunter, and was here to track down a certain somebody. The hit order was given to him by some shady clients with the pay being well above what he normally got offered.

He pondered all this as he was led up to the room by the now cheerful Emmi. " Right this way, onii san!" said she, before opening a room to the far right end of the left corridor in the first floor. It wasn't as small as Susumu expected. There was a window set in the center of the opposite wall. The bed was set against the right wall while there were two single door cupboards standing against the left wall. There was a round table and a couple of chairs near the window. Overall, Susumu had stayed in much worse places.

He had to revisit by the lake to retrieve his belongings, and his precious Katana.

" Today went reasonably well," thought Susumu to himself. He had earned a nice bit of coin from the lumber camp, got himself a place to stay for free, and made some useful acquaintances.

" _And if all goes well, they will blame the disappearance of those 5 guards on the Danger Beast._" thought Susumu .

Lastly , he felt unexpectedly good by saving Emmi's life. A few months earlier, he would have just left her to her fate, or would have only bothered himself with saving her if he was being paid for the task. Today however, his body acted on its own, without considering the possibility of a reward, monetary or otherwise. And in the end , He felt good with himself, and had obtained a useful place to stay. And being adored by Emmi and respected by Hauser felt awkward, but made him feel appreciated, a feeling not often experienced by him in the 4 years he had wandered the empire.

" _.. So this is what it feels like to be the hero... might just do this more often..._"

With those thoughts, he headed back to the inn..

* * *

**AN: So, what didja guys think? Tell me your opinions and , if possible, maybe a few suggestions regarding how I can improve this story.**

**Oh, and if anyone else wants to use Susumu for their own works, feel free to drop L'Cie XIII ( His creator) a line. Susumu was created specifically for those writers who had a story, but were looking for a well drawn out MC to use.**

**Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3: Kill The Bandits!

**Hey Guys! Sorry for a bit of a delay, but here's the third chapter. In this chapter, he gets a little first hand info on his supposed target.**

**I would like to thank L'Cie XIII for creating, in Susumu, such a wonderful OC for me to use, and also for supporting me in the writing of this fic.**

**Thank you , enigma95 for your reviews!**

**And lastly, thanks to whoever reads this story. If you liked it, I consider my job well done.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: Kill The Bandits!**

**_Here he was again. He had been here many times, but the scene he beheld managed to shake him up considerably every single time he witnessed it. The smell of burning wood intermingled with freshly spilled blood ran heavy in the air. There were distant cries as lives were put to an end. His hut was ablaze, and he had to get out before the whole thing came crashing down. But suddenly he was hit square in the face ..._**

" What the -!"

Susumu was shaken out of his nightmare by something, or someone. He normally would have been grateful , as he didnt wan't to continue seeing his worst memory. But upon discovering the fact that it was a foot which struck him on the face , he was less than pleased.

"Emmi!"

" zzz..."

"EMMI!"

" Huh... huh-?"

"EMMI WAKE UP!"

" Who, What -?"

Finally awake, the child caught sight of her foot firmly embedded in Susumu's right cheek. She had somehow, inadvertantly turned upside down during the night, such that her feet now rested on the pillow, and consequently, kicked out at her unfortunate room mate while she was in the middle of a possibly action filled reverie.

"Ohhh! I ... I'm sorry, onii -san!"

Came a panicked reply

"It's fine... And please stop calling me 'onii san'... It feels wierd"

" Whatever you say , onii san!"

***facepalms***

After this brief morning banter, Susumu forcefully rid himself of the last vestiges of sleep , and headed for the common washroom of the floor, as he'd been doing for the past week. By now, he could find his way around the town without hassle, and mostly made his living alternating between the work at the inn, and a few odd jobs he had heard from Hauser that various people wanted done. He had collected a decent bit of coin in the past week. In other news, the guards whom he had slain were discovered as bones and skulls strewn about a campsite that looked like a gang of desperadoes , numbering no less than a 100, had ravaged through it, leaving only a few clues to its original identity. There was no particular way the murders could be traced back to Susumu, and he himself, had stopped worrying about it.

* * *

As he walked back towards the inn, he pondered about when he was to make his move. His target, was not easily approachable. The target in question, was one of the Lord's most trusted men,his nephew.

Hitzmar was rumored to be incredibly skilled at close combat and duels. He had amazing vitality, as evident by his 6 foot 4 inch frame covered by numerous battle scars, sturdy and broad shoulders, well defined chest and abdominal muscles, the outlines of which were prominent even through the silk shirt he wore while tending to court matters. In terms of function, he was the designated Chief of Police of the town of Ipswind . And he was very, very hard to catch blindsided, as the rumor goes. There were numerous assassination attempts against this man , from the other regions he had traveled, and none of them succeeded. The last failed attempt was the 19th overall , and the assassin was tortured for one week before finally succumbing to sheer trauma. Yes, rumor has it that the man had been educated in the art (if you can call it that) of torture by none other than Esdeath herself, the empire's strongest, and most sadistic. He had followed his uncle when he announced his decision to quit the army, and devoted himself to serving under his lordship at Ipswind town.

At that very moment, the alarm bell was sounded.

"An Alarm!? Must be a Danger Beast"

Thinking this, he sped to the town center.

"Onii-san, what happened? Is it the Earth Dragon?" cried out Emmi, from the doorway of the inn.

"I really don't know. Now you stay inside with Hauser. I'm gonna have a look "

"Be careful!"

"_hmmph... 'be careful'... She ain't my mom_" thought Susumu, and immediately chided himself.

His recent thought hit him hard, as his mother was gone, never to come back. And Emmi meant well. She genuinely was worried, and he thought he should be appreciative of the fact that someone gives a damn about what happens to him..

_"tch, why am I thinking all this right now... need to stay alert.._"

Composing himself such, he continued towards the town gates.

"BANDITS!" yelled a terrified woman.

Indeed, a group of them had somehow bypassed the main gate and were laying waste to the town. Susumu drew his hood and ducked behind a barrel, contemplating his next move.

"_What the hell are bandits doing here? Old Hauser told me this town hasn't been plundered in almost a year. Strange..._

_anyways, it seems that I can't decide on anything until I see the police get involved.__If they can't drive these bandits back, I will have no choice but to go and fight._"

And almost as if the gods were granting his wish, out came the police force, spearheaded by none other than Hitzmar himself.

"Stay back, you lot and let me take care of this" proclaimed the man, in a bold, deep voice.

"Finally, a chance to know what I'm up against " thought Susumu.

The man took the field wearing nothing but tattered combat leggings, a gauntlet on his right hand, and some shin guards. He wielded just a net and a trident. Yet the stance with which he took the field told Susumu one simple thing. This was a man fighting as if victory was already a forgone conclusion .Net and Trident fighters were almost exclusively arena combatants, relying on sheer speed and skill to take down heavily armored opponents. To find one at the head of the Lord's guard however...

"_This man must have had either a foreign master, or been abroad himself_" Thought Susumu.

The bandits, pleased to take on just one man,and that too one with literally no armor, surrounded him. Facing one bandit was a challenge in its own right, as they were tricky and ferocious fighters. Taking on half a dozen of them was on a whole other level.

_"They must have been planning this for quite some time._" thought Susumu , after seeing their numbers.

It was rare for a bandit group of more than 10 to attack a village or a holding, more so a town as out of the way as Ipswind. However for 20( 7 had already succumbed, but so had 19 guardsmen) to focus their attention was a rare occurrence.

The bandit group realized that if they took Hitzmar out, it was game, set and match for them. They surrounded him. But the man didn't turn a hair.

One of them blindly charged into melee range, only for Hitzmar to nonchalantly sidestep him, and impale him with his trident as he charged past. Another man wielding a dagger tried to blind side him, but true to the rumors, Hitzmar did not get caught on the wrong foot easily. He flourished his net, and with a swift under hand motion, he flung it backwards . The net connected with the mans legs and he stumbled onto the ever ready trident of Hitzmar. Two down, and it had hardly taken 5 seconds...

"_This guy is good..._" thought Susumu, offering his begrudging respect.

The remaining four men realized that mindlessly charging in was a sure fire way to make an early trip to the afterlife, so they held back, waiting for Hitzmar to make a move. It was the smartest thing they could have done under the circumstances. They intended to surround him and bait out an attack, and then capitalize on any mistake. However what they didn't expect was Hitzmar charging straight into them. Twirling his trident with one hand, and flourishing his net with the other , Hitzmar set up an impressive array of defense and offense. The men , to their credit recovered quickly, but not before Hitzmar thrust out his trident with shocking speed and impaled a bandit's foot. Swiftly letting go of the trident and reaching into his belt, he whipped out a knife and cut the hapless man's throat.

Two more men came to join the dwindling numbers of the group that surrounded Hitzmar. The remaining guardsmen were doing well to keep the others at bay from this death match. Not that Hitzmar couldn't handle them of course. One of the men who joined was an archer.

_"How will he deal with this ranged threat_?" thought Susumu

The bandits began to form a 4 protect 1 formation, with the archer using the space created to try and get a shot at the menacing Net Man. However Hitzmar had other ideas. He flung the net towards the grouped up bandits and managed to ensnare a well armored mace wielder from the forefront of the pack. Then he flicked a knob attached to the gauntlet. A whirring noise started and a rope , which was hitherto invisible, began retracting into the gauntlet. The other end was connected to the net, and the ensnared man was rapidly pulled towards the waiting Hitzmar.

It was then that Susumu realized with a start : " _Holy.. That's not a gauntlet, its a prosthetic arm!_"

The man, still trapped in the net , screamed as he was drawn in towards Hitzmar, who pivoted just before the man reached him, spun fully around , and using the centrifugal force generated, cast the net, man and all, towards the group of bandits, knocking all of them down. This whole process took place so fast the archer didn't have time to get a shot in.

"It's over! " declared Hitzmar.

_"Huh? They are still alive !_ " Thought Susumu. These were bandits, and any fight involving frontier bandits would never be over until all of them would be killed. Bandits never deserved any mercy in Susumu's eyes.

And as though in answer to his question, a weird crackling noise began to come from the net. The mace wielder looked down to notice a spherical object with a lit fuse lodged in his armor.

" YOU MOTHER-"

*_**KABOOOOOM!***_

The sound of the explosion cut short the last words or in this case, profanities of the bandits. Hitzmar stood still, as nonchalant and unimpressed as before the battle began, while bits of human flesh and bone rained down in the aftermath of the explosion. The raid was over. The bandits were vanquished. But the damage was done. Here and there, people stood around corpses, crying in anguish as they wondered what they did to deserve such a wanton display of violence towards their town. But, just as natural disasters, thugs and bandits of the empire give little or no warning before they show up at your door.

However , one thing they didn't count on was the presence of Hitzmar. The man strode about the town, looking about the procedings. His men came up to him with the three surviving bandits in chains. After promising them that their deaths would be long and painful, he accousted a woman who wept next to the remains of her husband.

" Darling! Don't worry about the fact that yer Hubby is gone! I will still bed you , HAHA! After all, I saved your lives, now how's about a little reward?"

and with that bombastic declaration, he hauled the kicking and struggling woman towards the pleasure tower.

Susumu watched all this with no small resentment. However there was not much he could do to aid the poor woman. And besides it was not his concern anyway...

While he wanted to think that, he couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving the woman to her fate, a feeling new to him , which began manifesting itself in his persona the day he saw Emmi being molested by the guards. So, like it or not, the inherent coldness that he had come to accept as a part of his character, was getting dissipated by the kindness and faith humanity was showing him, even though it had just been slightly more than one week since his encounter with the Lord's men and Emmi, in the woods.

"_What made me go in there that day, I probably never will know..._"

With these thoughts running through his head, he decided to go back to the inn to grab lunch , before heading to the lake for some training.

"That guy is pretty darn strong, and his fighting style is rare. I haven't squared off against even one net and trident man so far. I fought against nets, and against tridents,but never a man wielding both simultaneously.

In any case , I'm certain its the net that's gonna cause me the most problems, simply because of its sheer versatility and range.

That net is an excellent gap closer, and god knows what other tricks he might have in that arm of his...

In any case, I need to train harder.."

* * *

He was greeted at the inn by a bear hug from Emmi, from which he struggled to extricate himself. Once he fended off the excited and curious child, he went on (after much compulsion from the child) to recount what had happened at the gates.

" Wow, Hitzmar seems strong... but onii san is stronger !" proudly proclaimed Emmi!

"Hey hey... first of all why are you comparing strengths? It's not like I'm gonna fight him or something...

And second of all, you haven't even seen him fight, so how can you blindly just announce me the superior ?"

The first question was posed due to his nervousness. In the state of mind he was in, he regarded even the most innocent of statements which came close to his intentions, with suspicion, lest his true identity as a bounty hunter be revealed. The second follow up question was because, Emmi said her statement with such conviction that it was not like she was displaying confidence in Susumu's abilities to triumph against Hitzmar. It was like she was stating a fundamental truth or fact of nature ,the same way one would say the Sun rises in the East, or there are 24 hours in a day. He wanted to know what instilled this radical degree of faith into her.

Looking at him like he was some kind of dunce , she replied:

" I compared his strength to your own because I know you pride yourself in your fighting skills and I also know that you want to be the best, onii san!"

" stop calling me onii..."

paying no attention to the interruption, she continued:

" And besides, who was the one who saved me from the Lord's men?

Was it Hitzmar ? Most certainly not! It was onii san!"

(and the Earth Dragon ...) thought Susumu, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna interrupt her when her eyes were practically glowing with passion.

"So for me, Onii san is the strongest and that's all that matters!" concluded Emmi triumphantly.

"Fine fine, I give up, I'm the strongest. Can't argue with that logic .." remarked Susumu with a wry smile.

For he had just got his motivation to go the extra mile...

" Onii san, where are you going?" remarked the little girl, as she watched her hero rummage around his luggage, to emerge holding his two katana.

"To train. After all, I AM the strongest, aren't I? And the best people need to remain the best, so that's why they keep training."

"COOL! Can I come and watch?"

"No"

"Please?"

"No"

"Pretty please, onii san?"

"NO , and STOP calling me onii san!"

" Sorry about that , onii san !"

***facepalms***

And in this manner, Susumu set off to train, with Emmi in hot pursuit.

* * *

**AN: So, hmm yea that's the third chapter. And I also updated the second chapter a bit, in line with Susumu's updated profile, which you can check out at L'Cie XIII's profile. **

**The next chapter will most probably be a peek into Susumu's past. To be more specific, his experiences with one of the senpai who tutored him prior to the beginning of this fic.**

**As usual, reviews would be appreciated! I would really like to hear your thoughts on the story, and some constructive criticism is always good, I suppose!**


	4. Chapter 4: Kill The Flashback!

**Well hello once again! Sorry it took me so darn long to upload this. But in line with my policy of not spoiling the anime, I had to wait until they introduced the three beasts to post this. Yep they gonna be featured in this story. This chapter, as I mentioned in the A/N of the last chapter, is a story from Susumu's days of wandering the empire prior to arriving at Ipswind town. In this case, it's around two months since his village got destroyed. **

**This is how he meets one of his three sensei.**

**THIS IS AN EPISODE FROM THE PAST! Pls don't flame me for discontinuity lol**

**Once again, I have to thank L'Cie XIII for constant support and always helping me with new ideas and constructive feedback. Couldn't have done this without your help!**

**And enigma95 as well , for reviewing, and helping me with ideas as well!**

**If you enjoyed this read, that is the greatest feeling I can get. **

**(Adding this to favs and reviewing wont hurt as well xD)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

'_ huff... huff... I think I *Cough* lost them..._' Thought the kid. Unfortunately , moments later: " THERE, I SEE HER!" . Cries from his pursuers, (Yes, HIS), the boy, who was (un)fortunately blessed ( or cursed, in the context) with an effeminate appearance, continued to run. This effeminate appearance made him quite an eye full for child slavers , much like the current group following him. Just as they caught up to him, a shape which moved faster than the eye could see, interspersed itself between the men and their target. " 5 vs 1? Dontcha think those odds are unfair?" came a high pitched voice in a mock playful tone from the cloaked figure. And with a flourish of the strangers hand, two men keeled over, a dagger through each of their throats.

" YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU!" shouted the men and charged. And then...

Silence...

The three men spoke no more...

With incredible speed, the stranger slashed thrice. And the men fell down , dead. The ghost of their last emotions still petrified onto their faces...

Peering out of half closed eyes, the kid saw the cloaked figure surrounded by 5 dead bodies. "Hey Kid, are you OK?" Called out the stranger.

"Yea, I think..."

And then the stranger removed the cloak , revealing 'himself ' to actually be an incredibly beautiful woman. She appeared to be around 20, moderately tall. She had stormy gray eyes, a fair complexion which wasn't too pale , ruby red lips, a tear drop shaped face, and pointed, almost elf-esque ears. Her hair was ebony black ,worn in a pony tail reaching the small of her neck, with bangs framing the sides of her face, and she had a slender body with a well proportioned bust and robust hips. She wore a get up which was a sure as hell indicator that she was one of the famed yet secretive ninja warriors, with a light armor consisting of black cloth leggings and a matching full sleeved shirt. Around her waist was a belt equipped with hooks, pouches , kunai, and a length of rope.

" I'm Kallen, the self proclaimed fastest fighter in the empire, and ninjutsu expert! And you-?"

"I'm Susumu... a nobody..."

"Well Susumu, Time's a wasting... stick with me if you want to live!"

and with that, she scooped up the kid and sprinted off"

He traveled with his savior, keeping her company and helping her out in whatever way he could. He was poor, alone and afraid... And she was going to help him overcome all this and teach him her trade...

She was going to teach him how to become a shinobi...

"If there is one thing I can teach you, It's how to be quick on your feet. Speed is the heart of combat. Stay quick, and you will stay alive. Now... I want you to run as fast as you can, till that tree..."

In this manner, she built up Susumu's speed and agility, while teaching him basic maneuvers . As time moved on, he began to feel quite at home with Kallen. Adopting her as 'Onee Sama' he really respected her. She was fast, skillful, fearless, and an extremely quick thinker. Susumu just wanted to one day wield a blade with even a fraction of her skill. But when he expressed this sentiment to her, she thumped him on the head and said:

"The reason I'm training you is so that you can friggin be better than me!

Not so that you can end up like some amateur with half my skill or something.

For me, that will be the greatest gift that you can give me.

So , even if we end up parting ways, always ALWAYS remember to practice every single day."

"Don't say that! I wont abandon Onee sama!" replied Susumu

"Ahaha , relaax! No one is leaving no one!" and she thumped Susumu on the back before ruffling his hair.

There were good times, and not so good times. For Susumu, he was almost always driven to his wits end when he was with Kallen, the very embidiment of a trickster, and a born flirt to boot. Indeed, it was by accidentaly walking in on Susumu while he was taking a piss that she realised the incredibly kawaii girl she had saved was actually a boy. This amused her to no end and she would never lose the opportunity to flaunt her body to him, or invite him into the baths. On one such occasion, where Susumu was relaxing in a bath house only for a fully nude Kallen to come and dunk him into the water:-

" WTH IS WROONG WITH YOU?!"

" Oh come on, you might never get to see such a fine body again !" replied the kunoichi , grinning seductively

*facepalms*

"WHY CANT YOU JUST ACT LIKE A NORMAL ONEE SAMA FOR ONCE!? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?"

yelled Susumu, whose face complexion had reached that shade of red normally associated with ripe tomatoes.

"You might act decent , but what you really wanna do is stare at me,right?"

"AAAAHHH SHYADDAAAP!" replied Susumu, violently throwing the Kunoichi out of the bath.

The result of all this merciless teasing would be seen manifesting itself as an extreme discomfort in the presence of women, later on in his life.

But all was not fun and games, as specified earlier. Kallen was a devoted senpai, and other than the art of ninjutsu, she also taught him the finer skills of life, such as how to read and write, a few basic cooking recipes, how to look for edible food out in the wild, and so on. She also taught him how to set up camp, and travel light. And he actually began to enjoy himself, and his newly found way of meditation and mental exercise course she made him adhere to contributed in no small part to this peace of mind. She taught him how to develop a measure of his body, and the life force flowing through it. The concept of ki, or life force was firmly ingrained into him. By extension she taught him how to develop a sort of a sixth sense, how to sharpen or completely dissipate his killing intent, sense and detect people through subtle changes in the surroundings, and ofte, through sheer instinct alone and other such skills. The end result of this was that the inner turmoil he suffered from slowly kept fading away. The end result of all this was for the first time since his village was burnt down, he was actually smiling. However, the sense of loss and bereavement , no matter how minuscule in quantity,still remained, chained up deep within...

" Tell me Susumu, what do you want?" asked Kallen one day, as they relaxed under a tree after a tough criminal chase.

" I want some Udon, a few pork chops , some sherbet to down it with would be nice..."

"No! You idiot, I meant what do you want in life?!"

Susumu fell silent.

" I want my mom and dad back. I want my friends back. I want my village back" came the soft reply.

" Susumu..."

"Why did it have to happen? WHY MY VILLAGE!?"

Feelings that he concealed for long suddenly and unpredictably came to the fore...

Suddenly-

"Shhhhhhhh..." holding her finger in front of his lips, Kallen proceeded to draw him into a hug.

" There there... Let it all out... Don't be encumbered by your emotional baggage now.

You need to know that your mom and dad want to see you happy, and that wherever they are now, they would hate to see you cry"

" I KNOW! BUT-"

"Quiet! Just listen for some time. You won't regret it.

You need to let go. Life goes on and right now, all that matters is that you're alive. I am alive. We are alive

And we are alive for a reason.

That reason must be justified.

We are alive for a purpose

That purpose must be fulfilled.

There is no use ruminating on the past. Keep your parents in your heart, in your memory, in your thoughts, and they will always be there.

Shit happens in life. There is no predicting it, and no running away from it.

I was an orphan. I never knew my parents. My dad had ditched my mother after she fell pregnant with me.

My mother died within a few hours of my birth.

I was brought up by my much elder brother. He was all I had. I loved him more than anything else...

He taught me everything I know today.

But he couldn't be there for me all the time.

He had to fight for our tribe.

He had to fight for our autonomy.

And one day, he never came back.

A spy in our village had informed the empire's troops about my brother's squads movements.

Apparently my brother had died trying to cover his squad's retreat.

When I heard the news, I felt like I was the one who had died, not my brother

But what happened cannot be changed.

I am proud of my brother's sacrifice. He stayed behind so that his men could make it home , and inform us that the Empire was coming

Thus we were able to evacuate.

My brother died so that we all lived. And I want to honor the memory of my brother's heroic actions.

So I moved on with my life, and let go of my pain. And I wanted to make sure I don't suffer the same feeling again.

That's why I won't let you feel down. I will protect you. You will live on and do your family proud.

This is my promise, upon my honor as a Kunoichi."

"I'm sorry, Onee sama... I won't..."

"Shhhh... It's ok. I'm here for you..."

And saying so, she cradled the sobbing child and scooped him up in her arms.

Arriving at their camp site, she wrapped him in his bed roll, and kissed him on the fore head.

"Sleep well..."

And she went off to gaze at the stars for some time, before turning in for the night herself.

.

.

.

On another special occasion:

"Happy Birthday Susumu!"

"Wth?" replied a groggy voice...

" It IS your birthday! Go ahead, blow out the candles!"

Susumu cleared his eyes and beheld the figure of his sensei, holding up a birthday cake.

After blowing out the candles, Susumu was given a small rectangular package by Kallen.

"Go ahead, open it!"

He opened the package to find an exquisite obsidian colored dagger.

"Do you like it? I noticed you looking at the daggers I keep, and I thought that maybe you'd like one for y-"

And that's all the words she managed to get out , for the next second, Susumu had wrapped her in a bear hug.

"Thank you Onee Sama!" he managed to blurt out, his voice awash with emotion.

That was one of the best birthdays he ever had in his life, not in terms of the enjoyment, but the sheer significance of it. Susumu had never thought he would love or be loved after his parents met their end. Yet here he was, speechless at the love this woman held for him. And he too, loved his 'Onee Sama' dearly. This, and not the dagger, was the gift that made him break down with joy.

.

.

.

After almost a year, thanks to vigorous training, his speed and instincts had improved drastically, not to mention his swordsmanship. While still nowhere near as fast as the virtually inhuman Kallen, he still was able to outpace and outfight almost all the opponents he faced when he went along with Kallen for her bounty hunts. In this manner, the two of them managed to somehow lead a pretty good lifestyle despite the exorbitant entry fees to different towns, and the high room for rent rates. However, due to numerous missions targeting high profile merchants and politicians, Kallen managed to acquire a bounty on her head, along with unwanted interest from the empire. Despite all this, they still went about their business unhindered by all of this. Kallen was a master of disguise, and she trained Susumu in this art. Susumu quickly proved to be adept in this particular field, thanks in no small part to the numerous feminine features he possessed. This disguising ability enabled them to accept out of the way missions where Kallen would be spotted.

After one such mission, Kallen decided to relax with a bath at a natural hot spring far from the town, and she dragged the hesitant Susumu with her.

"Why do you do this to me..." said a red faced Susumu

"Awww, look who's shy, haha!" replied Kallen, wearing only a smile.

Susumu seriously thought that an adolescent boy shouldn't have to deal with this lest he be scarred forever.

However, he said nothing.

"Never mind all..."

Suddenly, her uncanny sixth sense picked up a malicious presence nearby...

Acting quickly, she shoved Susumu away from the spring

"Wha..."

"shhhhhhhhhh... go hide!

and DON'T reveal yourself!"

Kallen frantically whispered with such a look of urgency and authority on her face that Susumu went unquestioningly.

After ascertaining that Susumu had complied with her instructions, she stood up and turned around.

"Show yourselves, you perverts!"

yelling into the distance, she drew out the Knife she kept near the spring bank.

" Oho, so you managed to detect us... You must be as skilled as you're pretty"

This sweet, yet incredibly menacing voice came from a small boy perched atop a cliff. He was wielding a flute.

" Now, now Nyau, let me have my way with her first before you peel off her face!" came the gruff voice, which belonged to a man wielding a giant ax.

" Oh hush now, Vengar! Focus on the matter at hand, or do you want to displease Esdeath Ojou-Sama?"

This came from a man who was unmistakably a high ranking officer in the military.

" Yea Yea Yea, always a stick in the mud, eh Pancreas?"

"The NAME IS LIVER!"

"whatever"

Fed up, Kallen shouted " Stop this ceaseless chatter and explain your purpose! Do you have a death wish, to sneak up on a bathing woman!?"

"ooh feisty... I like that!" with those words, the man jumped unto the water, ax ready to swing...

Susumu wanted nothing more than to run in and help, but for some reason , his legs wouldn't carry him. He was afraid...

"_IDIOT, WHAT USE IS ALL YOUR TRAINING WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN HELP ONEE SAMA_!" furiously thought Susumu to himself...

With tears of fear streaming down his face, he watched as Kallen fought against the three assailants. And it was clear from that the very beginning that she was at a way higher level as compared to these guys. That was.. until they began using their Teigus.

Kallen sped across the water, feinting, dodging, and striking whenever she got the chance. She had'nt a scratch on her body while the ax man had scratches and cuts all over himself, and the commander had a bloody gash running across his shoulder. The boy kept his distance for the time being. Then suddenly...

Susumu almost screamed aloud. Just as Kallen dodged yet another ax attack, the blade suddenly split into two, and almost decapitated Kallen. To make matters worse, the blades kept chasing her, following her as she tried evasive action.

"Teigu users eh? I'm flattered. Esdeath must really want me dead to send the three beasts after me. That's who you guys are, right?" spat out Kallen with contempt.

Suddenly, a tune wafted out from the young boy's flute.

Susumu almost wanted to puke. He felt such a rapid decrease in his energy, that he felt dizzy...

" Agh, can't move! So it seems your flute can control a person's state of mind eh? What an underhand tactic..." Indeed, the same Kallen who wa running circles around the three of them slowed down to a near halt, and to make matters worse, the blades were coming straight for her.

The Ax Man, thinking that he had won, came in front of her to gloat. But he had another thing coming.

A major part of shinobi training was how to control your emotions and will. And Kallen was an exponent of this training like none other. She had nerves of steel, and an iron will thanks to training which began before she could even learn to speak properly. Even the strongest of mind influencing techniques from even teigu, were naught but momentary lapses of focus for her.

Just before the blades pierced her body, with superhuman reflexes she jumped high into the air. The blades, however couldn't change direction that abruptly, a fact she had earlier observed while trying to evade them. And as a result they carried on and slashed through Vengar's torso.

"...how..."

He stood there with a shocked expression glued to his face.

"Eat that pervert! My emotions won't get swayed regardless of whatever gay tune that boy comes up with.

And right from the beginning, with every dodge I made, I was trying to manipulate the trajectory of your blades.

It follows me as I move right? so in essence, it is me who controls your blades.

Once I realized this , it was a simple matter for me to use my defeatist sounding words to draw you in front of me, and make you think you had won, while all the time, you were playing right into my hands. I ain't that dumb to run straight at you with the blades following me, as you would easily anticipate my attack. So, instead , I lured YOU in front of me.

NOW DIE!"

and she swiftly decapitated the hapless Vengar using her knife.

" Hmm, to come up with such an incredible strategy...

Even though she's naked as the day she was born, caught horribly out of position, outnumbered 3 to 1, and not just any Tom, Dick and Harry, her opponents are the three beasts, the most dangerous fighters in the empire barring Esdeath Sama herself, not to mention that she's armed with just a simple hunting knife, she still took down Vengar, and she doesn't even have a scratch on her..." thought General Liver

"I was right to suggest we take her by surprise at the springs" said Nyau.

" Yes but I still don't like it. At this rate, I will need to use that, and so will you! Else, take it from me, an experienced man, when I say that we won't live another minute if we don't..."

'that' referred to their respective trump cards.

"Secret Skill: Call of the Fierce God!" yelled Nyau.

He began to rapidly shoot up , swelling considerably. His shirt ripped off while his muscles swelled to many times their original volume. In the end, it looked like somebody had stuck a boy's head on to a professional wrestler the size and weight of a small killer whale.

"Humph... I've beaten up worse" spat out Kallen.

And she tried to run towards Nyau, to get inside his personal space. Her plan being that, with his increased size, this limits his flexibility, and with the long reach of those arms and the overly defined musculature, it would be difficult for him to grasp at targets closer to him because of the encumbering biceps, and her incredibly fast reflexes.

While this seems counter intuitive at first, think of it as fighting vs a spear or a lance.

There was one slight problem however...

She couldn't free her legs from the water...

" SHIT!"

" I am sorry, Kallen san. I did not want to use the abilities of my teigu if I could help it, as you were unfairly placed from the word go.

However, as much as it shames me to admit, it seems that it was us who were at a disadvantage.

I have no choice to use Black Marlin, whose ability is to control any preexisting body of liquid.

In a way, you were doomed from the moment you stepped into the water."

"WHY YOU...!"

but she was forced to cut short her words as Nyau charged towards her. She tried to dodge but she couldn't. Her legs were impeded by the swirling waters. Unfazed, she quickly used her legs as an anchor of sorts, intercepted Nyau's punch with her hands, and used his own momentum to throw him over head.

It was a perfectly executed judo throw.

" Nyau... the target is incapacitated... Just finish her off, why can't you?"

"You're big on the talk, old man. If it is so easy, do it yourself!"

"Fine then..."

And with a wave of his right hand, he willed the water to rise and surround the hapless Kunoichi.

She struggled to free herself to the best of her abilities, but her strength and speed finally had failed her when pitted against such insanely challenging odds.

With no equipment, no armor, no weapons, no teigu (not that she had one in the first place) , heck not even clothes, there is a limit to what one can do , no matter how skilled you may be.

Eventually, Kallen realized it was futile...

Turning around, completely engulfed by the watery coffin, her eyes met Susumu's for one final time. The look she wore seemed to imply a number of things. But more than anything, it was a look of willing. Through that look, she was willing him, almost ordering him . Ordering him to live, to fight, to love, to SURVIVE...

With tears streaming down his eyes, Susumu realized what had to be done. He turned and ran into the night, engraving that final look into the very core of the folds of his memory, imprinting it into his inner consciousness lest he forget it. And that night, he promised to do just what his master ordered him to. He was going to live on... AND FIGHT.

" _nee sama..._"

After more than 5 minutes , with her breath still amazingly intact, Kallen turned and saw, much to her relief, that Susumu had gone. Her mouth shaped into a sad smile, she let go of her breath and closed her eyes, never to open them again.

Her final thoughts ran through her consciousness before it faded forever...

_"So this is how it ends, eh.._

_ Well I never thought I would die in such a peaceful manner..._

_ Least of all, drowning..._

_ Onii Sama... After all your training, I die to friggin water_

_ What a joke , ha!_

_ Well_

_ I have no regrets_

_ I've done the most I could do_

_ And I met good people_

_ This last one year in particular_

_ I met Susumu_

_The boy has darkness inside him_

_Please, help him overcome it..._

_I really enjoyed my time with you..._

_But we all have to part someday..._

_Do your best..._

_May your will never falter..._

_And this may sound a bit selfish..._

_But Live on..._

_Struggle..._

_Survive..._

_And , please keep me in your heart..._

_Thank you... Thanks for everything..._

_I'm coming, Onii-sama..."_

And with that, she was no more...

.

.

.

Susumu felt her powerful presence fade away, even though he was quite far from her.

With red eyes, he continued to flee, stopping at their stash in order to grab the little supplies and cash they set aside for emergencies.

"onee sama... I'm sorry" said he to no one in particular.

And grabbing his bag and belongings, he continued to trudge onward.

.

.

.

"The water prison finally did the job"

"Aww Liver, you didn't even let me skin her face..." pouted Nyau.

" Are you an Idiot? If I had lowered the prison for even a moment, or if I had let you anywhere close by, she would have killed you even in the state she was"

"Well anyhow, we need to report this to Esdeath sama, along with the fact that Rengar is dead." said Nyau, indifferent to his former comrade's fate.

"Yea thats right, we need a replacement. That gold haired trainer from the barracks would be good, don't you think?"

"You mean that wrestler who keeps going on about experience and stuff?"

"Yea... Deidara, that's the name"

* * *

**A/N: So, tell me about how you feel regarding this chapter. It's a bit on the emotional side.. yea but I thought i'd try my hand at it. And please, is the name "The path less trodden" a good one for the story? Can you help me come up with a better one? Coz I sorta feel like I'm shamelessly copying Robert Frost haha, not to mention that it's a bit banal and overworked as a phrase.**

**Thanks in advance!**


End file.
